Say Cheese: iPhone App Takes Food Pictures, Counts Calories

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REUTERS/Molly Riley

One of the great things about eating fatty foods sans a pesky calorie label is not knowing exactly how many grams of sugar you’re inhaling. Everyone knows that if you don’t know the calories, they don’t count!  Japan’s NTT Communications wants to take that sweet mystery away from you. They designed an app that will guess the calorie load judging from a picture of your meal. Just point, shoot and the app will compare your meal to a database of about 100,000 foods to tell you just how much energy is in your tasty blueberry cheesecake. Since the developers are Japanese-based, the app is heavy on ramen and light on other fare, but they’re working to expand the database to include more worldwide selections. No doubt this would come in handy in the States, but if you need an app to tell you to cut back on some of America’s finest bacon-wrapped meatloaf or deep-fried cheese curds, it might take more than a mobile device to trim the waistline.

(See the latest diet and fitness news on Healthland.)

Expansion might also include being able to link to social networks while you’re counting calories, because there’s nothing like your mother using Facebook to more effectively snub your eating habits. Users could also be updated with exercise plans or menu suggestions.

We’re all for anything that keeps the general population nice and healthy. But don’t be afraid to pair this app with a couple that don’t take all the fun out of eating – like Fromage, the cheese gods gift to iPod users, this helpful McDonald’s finder, an app that makes restaurant decisions for you with a single shake, and don’t forget to mix yourself something to wash it all down.

And for foodies that want to keep living life on the edge, have no fear, no app yet to detect any of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods. (via Reuters)